As if she truly thought highly of Chihaya Yui's ability, Elizabeth offered terms so generous they bordered on absurd.
A residence permit. A house. A car. A luxurious estate complete with expertly trained maids. Exceptional working conditions, a noble title that would earn her the admiration of others, and even talented young horse girls to train…
It could be said that as long as Chihaya Yui nodded, all of it would become hers. It was easier than a dream.
"…"
Looking at Elizabeth's calm, matter-of-fact expression, Chihaya Yui stood there with her mouth open for a long time, unable to say a single word.
She truly could not understand why Miss Elizabeth held her in such high regard. By all rights, people of Elizabeth's station ought to be able to see that the truly exceptional one was Xingyun Liuge, not Chihaya Yui.
Deep down, Yui had always carried a certain thought in her heart:
Little Song is strong. Really strong. So strong that words can't do her justice. She might even be the world's undisputed number one. The fact that someone like me got to partner with a horse girl like that is a blessing I couldn't have earned in three lifetimes—no, ten lifetimes.
If a Central trainer had been the one partnered with Little Song, then… then maybe she could have entered Japan's Classic Triple Crown and become the unprecedented Nine-Crown Queen!
In truth, that was not necessarily the case. JRA's harshness was etched into its bones. Just as Rudolf Symboli had once said, even for the great houses, no matter how talented a horse girl was, she could not enter the Classic series without proper Classic registration.
But that did not stop Chihaya Yui from thinking the way she did. After all, Japanese society ran on connections and hierarchy. What if? What if someone really did have that sort of power?
So when she heard Elizabeth trying to recruit her with such lavish conditions, the very first thing she thought was:
All of this came because of Little Song. It has nothing to do with me.
If she were allowed to enjoy benefits like this, then what about Xingyun Liuge? That girl ought to receive something even more extraordinary, something far more breathtaking. Otherwise, the world would simply be too unfair.
Elizabeth, of course, had no idea what Chihaya Yui was thinking. She assumed the girl had been stunned speechless by the conditions being offered.
Lightly fanning herself, she smiled and introduced a turn in the conversation.
"However."
She even paused deliberately, clearly intending to put pressure on Yui, as if to say: All of this could be yours, but it is not yours yet. If you want it, you will have to reach out and take it yourself.
What she did not know was that this "however" actually made Chihaya Yui relax. Of course—she had known there could not possibly be such a good deal for nothing. Anyone with real vision would value Xingyun Liuge, not her, the trainer.
But what Elizabeth actually said was:
"Transfer Xingyun Liuge to me."
With a crisp snap, Elizabeth folded her fan shut. Her expression turned serious.
"To be precise, I mean have Xingyun Liuge transfer to Britain. We will provide her with a professional support team tailored to her own wishes. At that point, if Xingyun Liuge chooses Miss Chihaya, then naturally the two of you will be able to stand side by side on the track again."
This time, she did not say "however" again, because everyone understood there was no need. The rest belonged to the category of "those who understand need no explanation, and those who do not understand would gain nothing from hearing it."
If Xingyun Liuge did not go looking for Chihaya Yui of her own accord, then it would mean the bond and partnership between them had ended there. There would be no point dwelling on it, much less clinging to it. Otherwise, not even the last shred of feeling between them would remain.
"I see. So you figured taking me alone wouldn't work, so now you're trying to package us together and carry us off. Interesting."
At the sound of that voice, the maid's eyes went wide. She instinctively stepped in front of Elizabeth to shield her. Before that voice had spoken, she had not heard so much as the faintest sound of approach, let alone had the chance to react. Cold sweat streamed down her back.
To put it bluntly, the newcomer had arrived in complete silence. If she had intended harm, the two of them might already have been cold corpses.
The maid swallowed hard. The situation felt extremely dangerous, so much so that she did not even register right away that the voice belonged to Xingyun Liuge.
"L-Little Song!"
Chihaya Yui was equally shocked. She had never imagined her horse girl might also have a hidden talent for becoming an assassin. She and Elizabeth had been standing face to face, with the maid nearby. Logically, one of them should have noticed Xingyun Liuge's approach.
And yet the reality was that none of them had sensed her arrival at all.
Thinking about it, Xingyun Liuge had been the absolute center of attention in the hall. If she disappeared, surely the guests would start whispering about it at once. So why had nobody said anything? Why had no one even looked in their direction?
Had literally no one noticed Xingyun Liuge moving?
That was absurd. Even the most famous assassins in history could not have walked through a banquet like it was an empty street without alarming a single soul.
Xingyun Liuge did not say much. She simply wrapped her arms around Chihaya Yui from behind, rubbed her chin gently against the top of Yui's head, and said with a sigh,
"I have to admit, Miss Elizabeth really did come up with quite the clever idea. The Americans came straight to me first, and only afterward brought up Yui. Miss Elizabeth has done the exact opposite."
If one wanted to be strict about it, matters of transfer really ought to be discussed with the trainer first. After all, horse girls only concerned themselves with racing, not with complicated everyday matters like these.
In that sense, Elizabeth's approach was actually very mature.
But…
Xingyun Liuge had originally been about to say something along the lines of, extraordinary horse girls ought to take extraordinary actions. She thought that taking Elizabeth down a peg or two for being overly self-assured and overly old-fashioned might be rather fun.
After all, a fully self-sufficient horse girl had no real need for a support team. She was an entire support team all by herself.
Yet before she could finish, she noticed that Elizabeth's little face had flushed an unusual shade of red. The color was so intense that even her breathing had turned labored, almost as if she were on the verge of climax.
"?"
Xingyun Liuge immediately felt that something was off. Since Elizabeth was an aristocrat, she probably would not stoop to the level of running a scam, would she?
There was no helping it. Xingyun Liuge had merely shown up, and Elizabeth had already started making such a strange face. It was difficult not to be concerned.
Was it possible this was all an act? That she was trying to manufacture an incident and frame her?
Xingyun Liuge did not want to assume the worst of people, but Elizabeth's reaction was simply too strange. Strange enough that it was impossible not to let her imagination run wild.
Then, in the very next instant, Elizabeth let out a sharp little cry.
"Ah! Big Sister!"
Xingyun Liuge: "?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
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TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter250)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
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Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
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The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
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Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
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MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
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I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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